Page 47 - How to Create a Winning Organization

The Pyramid of Success
This occurs when Cooperation is present, when you are more 29
concerned with “What’s right” than “Who’s right.” For many years
I’ve described one of the differences between a good leader and a
prison guard as Cooperation. When you carry a rifle, it is unnec-
essary to listen and learn, change and grow—prerequisites for good
leadership.
I note, however, there is one similarity between a prison guard
and a leader: Both have the final word. When a decision is made,
it must be accepted by those on your team, or they must be en-
couraged to find another team.
Cooperation—the sharing of ideas, information, creativity, re-
sponsibilities, and tasks—is a priority of good leadership. The only
thing that is not shared is blame. A strong leader accepts blame and
gives the credit. A weak leader gives blame and accepts the credit.
In basketball one of the undervalued acts that I valued most was
the assist—helping a team member to score. The assist in basketball
epitomizes Cooperation. The assist is valuable in all organizations,
helping someone to do her or his job better. It makes producers out
of everyone; it makes everyone feel, “We did it ourselves.”

RULES TO LEAD BY

Leadership Success Begins with a Solid Foundation.
The Pyramid of Success starts with the powerful cornerstone of In-
dustriousness. Success requires hard work. Absent the quality of In-
dustriousness, you will fail as a leader. Commit to work hard and
then stay committed until you are able to identify a single great
leader who achieved success without it. (You will not find one.)

There Is No Substitute for Enthusiasm.
A leader needs a fire-in-the-belly drive in order to ignite the team.
Few will follow someone who seems to lack fervor for a challenging